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Fliers grow frustrated over furlough-related delays

Frustrated travelers continued to spend hours at gates and tarmacs as flight delays mounted for the third straight weekday that air-traffic controllers had to take a day off without pay. Abby Berman, vice

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Travelers are increasingly complaining about spending hours at airport gates or on tarmacs as flight delays mounted for a third straight weekday with fewer air-traffic controllers on the job.

Abby Berman, vice president of a public relations firm, endured delays on both legs of her journey between New York and Washington, D.C. On Monday, her Delta Air Lines flight from JFK International Airport was supposed to depart at 2:59 p.m. It was delayed several times before getting cancelled, she said.

Delta rebooked her on a later flight but she had to hustle from JFK to LaGuardia Airport. That flight also was delayed because of heavy traffic. She got to Washington after 8 p.m.

Her trip back to New York wasn't much better. The 5:15 p.m. flight Tuesday was delayed until 5:57 p.m. She boarded her flight, but then had to sit on the tarmac for another 40 minutes.

"What should have been two 45-minute flights have now turned into hours of travel," she said. "Next time I'm taking Amtrak."

Travelers had similar stories to tell all across the USA. The Federal Aviation Administration has been charged with the task of cutting $637 million from its budget by Sept. 30. The agency says it can shave off $200 million through the furloughs of 47,000 employees, including about 13,000 air-traffic controllers, and that it has few other places where savings can be achieved.

The FAA announced today it was experiencing staffing challenges with regional controllers in Los Angeles, Miami and Tampa, and at the Chicago O'Hare and Tampa towers. Flight delays are expected at O'Hare, Las Vegas and Tampa because of staffing, along with a number of other airports because of weather and wind, FAA says.

The agency counted 1,025 delays Tuesday blamed on furloughs, with another 975 delays resulting from weather and other factors.

At 6 p.m., wind and weather was causing delays at New York area airports, with two and a half hours at JFK, two hours at LaGuardia and an hour at Newark, and a half-hour at Phildelphia.

The industry group Airlines for America also reported delays due to staffing of up to 80 minutes for flights passing through the Cleveland and Washington regions. The airlines also warned of delays expected at Detroit and Washington's Dulles airport because of staffing.

American Airlines, like others, urged travelers to contact airlines to check their flight status before leaving for the airport. "While we have not experienced a significant disruption, we are seeing delays across our network due to federal budget cuts and resulting air-traffic control staffing issues," says spokesman Matt Miller.

US Airways CEO Doug Parker said on a corporate earnings call Tuesday that the government isn't serving the public well.

"The furloughs are terrible public policy," Parker said. "Our team is doing a good job managing through this, but it will get worse."

To handle flights with fewer air-traffic controllers, it has had to space flights farther apart, wreaking havoc on the U.S. air traffic control system just as it gears up for the peak summer travel season. Winds and weather in New York, Florida and other parts of the country the last couple of days have exacerbated the situation.

On Tuesday, 385 flights were cancelled and 6,396 were delayed, according to FlightStats.com, which tracks U.S. flights. The airports with the most delays were LaGuardia, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas and Newark's Liberty.

The FAA said 1,200 of Monday's delays and 400 of Sunday's delays were a result of the furloughs.

As has been the case each day since the furloughs began, flights usually get behind later in the day, creating a domino effect across the air-traffic grid.

The political impasse that resulted in air-traffic control furloughs resumed Wednesday in a House hearing – with a warning that the spending cuts could continue indefinitely.

In broad terms, congressional Republicans have offered to shift funding so that the Federal Aviation Administration could avoid furloughs.

But the Obama administration has insisted on a solution to the entire government's spending dispute with additional revenues, which Republicans have opposed.

The head of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said at a hearing on FAA's budget that he was shocked at the mismanagement that resulted in furloughs.

And Rogers said FAA warning airlines about delays expected at specific airports on April 16, just days before furloughs began Sunday, was "disgusting."

"This imperial attitude on the part of the administration – and you're the most recent example of that imperialism – is disgusting," Rogers said.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said he had warned of furloughs and delays since Feb. 11. Details for specific airports were only available recently, after controller schedules were set.

"We had no choice," Huerta said.

Democratic lawmakers such as Rep. Nita Lowey of New York said Republicans shouldn

't be surprised about flight delays because there had been warnings for months.

"It is mystifying to me that some are surprised," she said.

Jay Carney, a White House spokesman, said the administration would be open to helping FAA, but he said that wouldn't help the kids kicked off Head Start, the senior citizens who aren't getting Meals on Wheels or the 750,000 Americans who lost jobs.

"That would be a Band-Aid measure," Carney said of helping FAA.

President Obama's budget blueprint for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 anticipates the spending cuts will be eliminated.

But lawmakers from both parties warned that spending cuts could continue because of the political impasse. That could mean a continuation of furloughs and the extended closure of 149 towers at smaller airports.

Passengers are clearly getting frustrated as the battle in the skies over the political budget fight on the ground rages on.

"I certainly understand that budget cuts need to be made and appreciate if they are doing this for our safety," said Berman, the public relations executive. "However, this seems to be a stunt designed to elicit public outcry. Air travel has already lost much of the glamour it was once had. Travelers should not be used as pawns in this political game."

Clint Arthur flew from Los Angeles to Newark Tuesday night on Virgin America. His flights was delayed three hours. He said the airline blamed the furloughs.

"This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever experienced," he said. "They should've warned us earlier instead of making me show up at the airport three hours before takeoff."

Airlines have said they can deal with the furloughs — for the time being.

Alan Bender, professor of aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said he believes they can handle them through the summer.

"The bottom line is airlines can very carefully trim selected flights at large airports at congested times of the day, and that should mitigate the problem substantially," he said. "This will cost them millions, but they are generally making millions today due to higher fares and lower jet fuel bills. Less competition due to industry consolidation also means that selected flights can be cut without dire competitive repercussions."

Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor of Orbitz.com, said "airlines are going to be prepared to manage though this issue."

But she said travelers should check their flight status before heading to the airport. And, she added, "It's important for consumers to know that the (Transportation Security Administration) is not impacted so once they get to the airport there will be normal wait times."